Shaving the right way. Cheaper and better (aka screw Gilette)

Like some gf's, shaving has always been an annoying, irritating bitch to me.

When the Mach 3 came along it was a godsend. An expensive frickin godsend, at that. My beard eats these blades up quick, and buying Mach 3 or Fusion cartridges costs a lot at the rate I need them.
So between having to buy blades and feeling like shaving in itself was a tedious requirement, shaving was the equivalent of catching my dick in the zipper every morning.
I'd then read about double edge and straight razor shaving. Old stuff, but it turns out while everyone's convinced the multi-blade plastic pieces of vibrating shit were the best way, that is incorrect.
See, what happened was these hunks of metal that are the single edge and double edge (Called DE) got replaced by cheap plastic disposables. They shaved like crap mostly, but well enough for a guy to just grab it, shave a couple times, throw it out. Convenience won. Since then, the new plastic shit-shave standard was set, so of course the Mach 3 is wonderful.
Now we got the Fusion. 5 Blades. Christ.
No. Not how it's done.

Here's how to shave if your goal is to be a real man. Or to just save money and be nice to nature.
Step one, don't use electric. Please.
You miss out on the exfoliation and um.. well "wet" shaving is better, cool an invention as the electric razor is
First, off the tools.

Note that they're hefty pieces of metal, not plastic. These are man tools dammit. Also note the irony of me having facial hair while taking the pic.

I'm going to bypass the straight razor speech. It's not so simple to just pick up and use, and there's a cost of entry that includes the blade, sharpening tools. You can manage to get that for under $100 which pays for itself as you NEVER need to replace a blade again. Straight razors and shaving with them is a bit out of scope here, so look into that if you wanna be cool about it.

The more likely candidate for most would be DE (double-edge) razor shaving. The blades are flexible, thin, double-sided blades, inserted into the metal razor. As you shave, you alternate between one edge and the other.
The investment of a DE razor is generally $10-$50 depending on if you get something from the 50's on ebay or buy a new one. I recommend the "Merkur Classic HD". Typically around $30, but the last razor you will ever need to buy. Let the weight of the metal rest on you as you shave (no pressure needed) and the blade will mow through your hairs with ease.
As for blades, you get at least as many shaves as a Gilette cartridge and they can be had for about 10 cents each. 10 CENTS. I bought a pack of 100 (I recommend "Derby" brand from ebay sellers), and it may very well be nearly a lifetime supply.
This in itself pays for the razor purchase very quickly.

Shaving brush and cream and soap. Even if you don't switch to one of the metal badasses pictured above, using a brush and shaving soap/creme alone will very much improve your results. Canned foam and gel applied with your hands does not compare to the hydration(softening) and under-whisker coverage a brush can provide. A brush will run you $5-$50 for a "serviceable" to "great" brush, but you can get fancy and spend over $100, which is completely unnecesary. Williams shaving soaps are a dollar a puck, very common in stores, and last pretty long.


There's my $15 ebay blade, homemade brush, and my overpriced shave creme in a bucket.

Again, stay away from canned goo packed with aerosol. The output is an inferior lather that doesn't get around and into the whiskers as well.
There are all kinds of great soaps and creams. Don't limit yourself to Edge gel's handful of more-of-the-same. There are such nice soaps and cremes that you may find yourself enjoying just using them. You may also find yourself buying more than you can ever use, which kinda defeats the money-saving purpose, but hey, have fun I guess.

Straight razor Pro's: One blade lasts a lifetime, cool factor.
Con's: Maintenance required for sharpness and possibly steep learning curve to shave well with it.

Double Edge razor Pro's: Also cool, shiny hunk of gold or silver metal, blades are dirt cheap and superior in sharpness to even a straight.
Con's: may irritate one's face if they're used to pushing down (no pressure).

My apologies if links aren't permitted (delete) but a great starting point to learn more and start saving money, being less wasteful, and actually enjoying shaving is www.badgerandblade.com
The site covers "wet-shaving", mostly DE and straight edge. You'll learn a lot.

Shaving had really sucked before I rediscovered the old ways. The old way is the best way.
Keep in mind the importance of:
1. Proper beard prep (out of the shower is the perfect time to shave, otherwise wash with warm water at least 30 seconds prior.
2. Technique - Go more than one "pass" on your face, with and against the beard growth. First with, then against. Stretching your skin to make it taught also helps cut whiskers deeper at the base.
These apply to any type of wet shaving, but when learning oldschool shaving, you'll hear more about techniques to get better shaves.

 

most old ways are the best way.

is it easy to cut yourself using the straight razor.

i only ask because i shave my husband almost everyday and he's a very hairy guy, i love a hairy man, but he needs alot of face shaving. he's mentioned the straight razor but i'm nervous about cutting him. i love the idea of never purchasing the overpriced triple, mach 111 (something, something) he uses again.

 

It's easy to cut yourself if you try to shave too quickly when beginning and don't have a sharp enough blade, where you pull against whiskers and the blade ends up stuttering and jumping.
Once you get used to handling a straight edge blade, they're actually more forgiving than machine-sharpened blades. The thing is, there is a learning curve to getting into straight razors.

 

ok then, i'll start with my legs and practice there. when i feel experienced enough i'll give him the closest shave ever.